Raila ropes in liberation architects to back his bid

By JUMA KWAYERA

Deserted by his allies, Prime Minister Raila Odinga is reaching out to the architects of the ‘Second Liberation’ to keep on course his bid to succeed President Kibaki.

A strategy mooted after the promulgation of the new Constitution is being worked out, with key players in Kenya’s two decades of struggle for a new order positioning themselves to play a critical role in the next elections and government.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga (left) meets his supporters in Meru accompanied by Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara (behind). [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

The idea to reclaim the reform agenda from the so-called Johnny-come-latelies is said to have been suggested at the burial in Githunguri, Kiambu, of one of the second liberation heroes, Peter Young Kihara.

Kihara teamed up with pro-democracy forces in 1970s through the 1980s to advocate for political pluralism, for which he was detained by the Kanu regime.

Ethnic hostility

While his opponents have ganged under the G7 Alliance banner and made ‘Raila must go’ the bumper sticker of their presidential bids, the Prime Minister is said to be concentrating on harnessing the intellectual resources of the Second Liberation days to fight off raw politics laced with ethnic hostility.

When Constitution implementation appeared to stumble as the Executive faced accusations of undermining the process – especially in the Judiciary – pro-democracy forces of yesteryear met in the PM’s office eight months ago to review the achievements of decades of struggle and work out a strategy to fight-back reactionary forces they fear would frustrate realisation of social and economic justice.

The need to rein in perceived reactionary forces became more urgent following the virtual break up of the Pentagon, the ODM ad hoc top decision-making body. The last to quit Pentagon, which was officially dissolved in 2008, with the Coalition Cabinet, was Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, who is expected to unveil his political party next week.

Reached to shed light on the re-convergence of pro-democracy advocates, former Nyeri Town MP Wanyiri Kihoro confirmed the group met the PM for consultations on recent political developments.

In the PM’s camp, it is agreed he faces a major challenge from his rivals. His director of communication Dennis Onyango, concedes that there have been consultations on the issue.

Onyango says: "After the promulgation of the Constitution, the PM had the presence of mind to host not just the Second Liberation team, but a number of earlier players who have always questioned the direction the country was taking right from independence. The PM is therefore not simply reassembling the liberation team. He is putting together a reform-minded team that incorporates past and new fighters."

Citing clampdown on leaders who attempted to meet at the Limuru Conference earlier this month to counter the activities of Gema and Kamatusa political outfits, Kihoro decries the commitment to reforms by some Cabinet ministers and MPs who wore the tag of reformist only to betray these ideals.

"Eight former political detainees met the Prime Minister and noted that the reform process risks being hijacked by the same people we fought against. For the past eight months, the social left has been lacking the reform agenda. The groups and individuals the PM has tried to work with were amorphous and were only interested in serving time," says Kihoro, a lawyer and a fierce critic of founding President Jomo Kenyatta and former President Moi regimes.

Former detainees

Kihoro says Raila has been consulting former political detainee – former Runjenjes MP Njeru Kathangu, former Subukia MP Koigi Wamwere, former Wundanyi MP Mwandawiro Mghanga, former detainee Otieno Mak’Onyango, Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara, and Lands Minister James Orengo, among others.

Retired Archbishop David Gitari has also been involved in working out a formula of countering the G7 Alliance, whose presidential election agenda is anchored on halting PM’s push for the top seat and maintaining power in the hands of the big tribes.

While denying having taken part in presidential election strategy meetings, Dr Gitari says he agrees the reform agenda is at risk, and possible return to the dark days if Kibaki successor lacks reform credentials. The Kibaki succession has generally been informed by ethnic alliances, which has largely been hostile to Raila’s political ambition.

Weekend rallies

The emerging scenario began to take shape after last weekend rallies in Meru, where Imanyara, former Ntonyi MP Maoka Maore, Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi, and Assistant Minister Kilemi Mwiria hosted the Prime Minister.

Speaking to The Standard On Sunday from the US, where he is with Raila, Director of Communication at Raila for President Campaign Secretariat Barrack Muluka confirmed the strategy meetings are on going, and the overriding theme is reforms.

"It is an agenda that has been on the cards for decades. Sometimes you make a step forward, and then back. The PM has been forced to confront the fact that some of the people he worked with were non-believers in institutional reforms. But there is nothing concrete at the moment," Muluka said.

He admitted reforms would drive the PM’s agenda, as he prepares to face off with Uhuru Kenyatta, Kalonzo Musyoka, William Ruto, Martha Karua, and Musalia Mudavadi, among other presidential aspirants.

Muluka says Raila intends to benchmark his election campaign on constitutional and political reforms for which he and scores of other Kenyans were detained by the Kanu regime.

In the past the premier anchored his campaigns on the misdeeds – particularly human rights violations by governments.

Onyango says Team Raila is working on a comprehensive election manifesto that focuses on issues as opposed to personalities.

"People have been looking in the wrong direction, talking of people running from Raila without asking, ‘is the deserting team really the one he wanted to go to elections with?’ It is critically important that people watch the PM. The team he will unveil after the party’s NDC will represent a complete shift in the political course he wants to pursue in the coming months and those he wants to pursue it with," he says. The NDC (National Delegates Convention) is expected in December.

Kenyan politics is toxic with ethnic and religious overtones; a thread the Prime Minister’s opponents are expected to thrive on to stop him from succeeding President Kibaki.

Kihoro terms as ‘vain electoral militancy’ the brand of reforms championed by Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi, Water Minister Charity Ngilu, Orengo and Karua, saying their intention was to serve time, not advancing any notable agenda for social justice. "The disintegration of the Pentagon has proved to Raila that it is difficult to keep bad boys together. They take to their feet at the most decisive moment.

Some of the ministers, and MPs who cast themselves as reformists, are chameleons that are generous with colours. Once the reform agenda was dispensed and found themselves in Government, they began behaving like the people they fought out of power," says Kihoro, a former political detainee.

The PM, says Onyango, plans to shed what is considered baggage accumulated in the course of the search for a new Constitution. "He is putting that team together and when it is eventually unveiled, Kenyans will see what the PM’s intentions are just by looking at the company he has unveiled.

Raila has maintained close contacts all along with the pro-reform group that pushed for the Second Liberation. At moments when critical decisions about the nation have to be taken, he has always reminded the group that the mission they set out on is not complete and they need to continue pushing," he says.